Ugly Day
by Oneturtledove
Summary: Ugly day, sun is shinin' every cloud's got a silver linin'. Ugly day, skies are blue, now every day is ugly without you.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: Go eat tinfoil

A/N: I got this idea from a little snippet of Law and Order SVU. I was reinspired to write it when Julia watched the episode. Small world, yo diggity.

_I can't believe this ever happened,  
I didn't think it ever could,  
I'm the author of sappy love songs,  
Trading in my bachelorhood.  
Something snapped deep inside me,  
Something that somebody said,  
I felt the brush of angels wings then,  
Your voice echoed in my head.

* * *

_

Mulder sighed and looked at the clock, rubbing his eyes with the heels of his hands. He hated being stuck behind a desk all day, especially when a meeting with Skinner was coming. Scully had been kind of quiet all day, her bottom lip clamped between her teeth as she concentrated on her paperwork. Normally he would have worried about her silence, but today she just seemed content.

"Hey Scully?"

"Yeah?"

"We've got that meeting."

"You go ahead. I'll be there in a minute."

"I can wait."

"No, with the way you dilly-dally I'll probably beat you there anyway. I just need to finish up this one thing."

"Alright. I'm going to take the files."

She nodded and he made his way upstairs, trying to not get distracted by things like interesting conversations in the hallways, and managed to get to Skinner's office three minutes early. He sat on the couch and played with his tie, examined his hangnails and retied his shoes, waiting for Scully to get there. She was never late for a meeting, so when 3:00 came and went, he started to get worried. He stood up from the couch and motioned to Kim that he was going outside. As soon as he opened the door he could hear her voice. It was light and had a pinch of laughter in it, and he could imagine the look on her face before he even saw her. She was standing in the middle of the hallway, talking to a man he placed as Agent Peters. He'd seen them talking a lot lately, in the hallways or in the copy room. He'd had a suspicion that something was going on between them, but up until now he hadn't been able to confirm it.

Scully had her hand on Agent Peter's lapel, and he knew that had they been in a private place, they would have been standing less than a foot apart.

He cleared his throat gently and Scully whipped her head in his direction, her face coloring as they made eye contact.

"Mulder."

"Hey. We've got that meeting with Skinner…"

"Oh, yeah. I'm sorry."

She gave Agent Peters a little smile and followed Mulder into the office.

"So Scully-"

"We'll talk later."

"I was going to ask if you finished what you were working on."

"Oh. Yeah. I did."

He gave her a smirk, but one that turned to a frown as she walked into the office in front of him. He sat down in the chair across from Skinner's desk, his stomach twisting into knots. He'd never liked seeing Scully with other men, especially not in a romantic way. Of course, he couldn't let her know that. He sighed audibly and Skinner and Scully looked at him. Bad timing.

"Agent Mulder, something to add?"

"No sir."

"Very well. I'd like you to get in touch with the proper authorities and write me a report on your conclusions. We'll talk tomorrow."

He dismissed them and they walked down the deserted hallway to the elevator. Scully didn't meet his eyes and it wasn't until they got to the office that he felt he could say something.

"How long have you been dating him?" he blurted out. She paused halfway to her chair and stared at him.

"I'm not… dating him."

"Oh really."

"I mean we've gone on a few dates."

"That's dating."

"We're seeing each other, not dating."

"Scully."

"It's not serious. He hasn't even come in for coffee yet."

"Scully."

"About a month."

"Why didn't you say anything?"

"I don't know. It's none of your business."

"I know, but… we're friends. I just assumed…"

"You're right. I should have said something. I just didn't know how. I know how you get. You worry about me and maybe I just didn't want to… I don't know."

"Does he treat you right?"

"Yeah."

"He makes you laugh?"

"Yes."

"Then I'm not worried. He just better know how lucky he is."

"Mulder…"

"What? Fair warning."

She smiled and turned back to her work while he sat down in the chair, suddenly very gloomy. He'd never seen that spark in her eye before. She was a goner for this guy. And there was nothing he could do about it.

* * *

_Ugly Day the sun is shining,  
Every cloud's got a silver lining.  
Ugly day the skies are blue,  
Now every day is ugly without you._


	2. Chapter 2

_You are the one pure thing,  
That I've always prayed for.  
Scales are falling from my eyes,  
I must have been so blind before.  
I would lie down on the street,  
To keep the dust off of your feet,  
I would kneel each time I kissed you,  
Anything Christie I miss you.

* * *

_

He knew she was going to be ticked at him from the moment her eyes met his across the room. He couldn't help looking in her direction; the pull was magnetic. Apparently she couldn't help it either, because meet his eyes she had, and she had nearly choked trying to hold back her laughter. Agent Peters (Mulder refused to call him Kevin) had looked at her, confused and she had just shook her head, trying to regain her composure. Mulder was sure that the only other person aware of the exchange was Skinner, but he had managed to let the entire episode pass without disruption.

When the meeting was finally over and everyone started making their way out of the conference room, Mulder found Scully standing next to him, her face flushed and her eyes light.

"I can't believe you looked at me," she said slapping his arm gently.

"I'm sorry. I just had to see if you caught it too."

"I thought I was going to die," she admitted, finally letting a little snicker out. "Do you know how hard it is to hold in a laugh? Especially when you have to pee?"

He chuckled and shook his head.

"Inside jokes are our friends. They should not occur in public, however, or we'll get ourselves into trouble."

"And me along with you," Skinner said as he passed them on his way out the door. "You two could really ruin a career."

"Yeah, we know," Scully said with a shrug. Agent Peters came up behind her, his hand resting on her shoulder.

"We'd better go if we want to make our lunch reservations," he said to her, but at Mulder.

Scully nodded and started to walk with him out the door, but turned around, shaking her finger at Mulder while wearing a grin.

"Don't you dare catch my eye in a crowded room again."

"I'll try to refrain."

They headed out the door and Mulder sighed, gathering his things and making his way back down to his office. Scully had been having lunch with Agent Peters a lot more often lately, and he couldn't fault her for that, but it still left an empty, cold spot in his heart. He really missed her. Just having her there, even in the quiet. He just hoped that no matter what happened, she was happy and safe. It was really all he could ask for.

Now how was he going to tell her that they needed to go out of town?

* * *

"Kevin, you're really quiet," Scully said, reaching over the table to touch his hand. "Is everything okay?"

His green eyes flicked up at her and then back down to his plate.

"I'm fine."

"You sound like me. What's wrong?"

"I'm just a little confused."

"About?"

"You and Mulder. Is that over?"

"Now I'm confused. Is what over?"

He sighed and sat back in his chair, crossing his arms over his chest.

"That relationship."

"What, you think we dated? Kevin, me and Mulder did not date. Not even close. We're just friends."

"Are you sure?"

"I'm positive."

"Because I've seen the way you look at him. I see the way he looks at you. There's something there."

"Kevin, I know you've heard about our cases. I know you know some of the things we've been through. He's been there when I was sick, when I was hurt. He's saved my life and I've saved his. You don't just have surface connections with people like that. He's my best friend."

"I don't understand it."

"You don't have to, Kevin. It doesn't have anything to do with you."

"Actually, it does."

"How do you figure?"

"Well, you and I are dating. I feel like I should be made aware of anything that stands in the way of that."

"First of all, if I say it's none of your business, then it's none of your business. Second of all, not trusting me and questioning what I say is what is really going to stand in the way of us."

"You're pretty quick to defend someone who is only a friend, Dana."

"I guess you've never had a friend like that before. Look, he's been in my life longer, and he's in my life deeper than you. You're just going to have to learn to deal with it."

"So what, I'm always going to play second fiddle?"

"You're in no position to ask for more than that right now."

* * *

She was quiet all afternoon, simply nodding when he told her of their travel plans. He wondered what had transpired during lunch that changed her mood so harshly, but he didn't want to ask her.

She was just as quiet the next day, in the airport, on the plane, even once they reached the local P.D. Half her mind was mulling over the case, and the other half was taken hostage by something he couldn't pinpoint. It worried him, but it wasn't his place to pry. At least not anymore.

He opened the door to her room to hand her some case notes, and thought he would find her on the phone. Instead, she was laying on the bed, staring at the ceiling.

"Anything interesting up there?" he asked, putting the papers on the table.

"There's a spider. I've been watching it for fifteen minutes."

"And?"

"It hasn't moved. I think it's watching me too."

He smiled and laid down on his side next to her, propping his head up in his hand.

"Is everything okay with you?" he asked after a moment.

"I'm fine."

"You don't look fine," he said, his hand resting gently on her stomach. He hadn't tried this in a while, but the small bit of contact had always made her talk before.

"Kevin and I had a fight. It wasn't really a big fight, but we haven't talked since. I hate fighting."

"I know."

"It was so stupid anyway. He should just get over it."

"What was it about?"

"You."

"Why me?"

"Yesterday in that meeting, I guess he was upset that we had a private joke and it made him realize how in each others lives we are. He's not comfortable with that, and I told him that was tough because it wasn't going to change. He didn't like that answer."

"Scully, what does he think is going to happen?"

"That's the thing. He won't say. It's so stupid, Mulder. I don't even know what to tell him."

"Want my advice?"

"Biased, but yes."

"Let him deal with it himself. Let him decide what he can handle in a relationship and what he can't. If it works for you too, then great. If not, then it wasn't meant to be."

"Tough love."

"It's always worked before."

She smiled and sighed.

"So do I call him?"

"I don't know. Do what you think you need to do."

"It would be easier if you would tell me."

"Can't do that, kid. Time to grow up."

"Thanks a lot."

He smiled and pressed a kiss to her cheek.

"I'm going for a run. See you in the morning, Scully."

"Okay. Goodnight."

He stepped out the door and immediately wanted to take it all back. Tell her to ditch him, give up, move on. But he didn't want to be selfish, or known as a saboteur of relationships. He was just going to have to bite the bullet on this one. Tough love was right.

* * *

_Ugly Day the sun is shining,  
Every cloud's got a silver lining.  
Ugly day the skies are blue,  
Now every day is ugly without you._


	3. Chapter 3

_Today was an ugly one,  
Just like all the others.  
All the flowers and the birds,  
Making me feel smothered.  
I would lie down on the street,  
To keep the dust off your feet,  
I would kneel each time I kissed you,  
Anything Christie I miss you_

"Hey Scully," Mulder said as he opened his door late one Saturday night. Scully had her coat wrapped tightly around her and she looked completely distraught. He'd never seen that exact look before and it worried him.

"Can I come in?"

"Of course. Is something wrong?"

"No, not really. I just needed to… get out."

He took her coat and draped it on the back of a chair, then led her over to the couch where they sat silently for a moment.

"You wanna tell me what's going on?"

She leaned back against the couch and propped her feet up on the coffee table, rubbing her eyes with the heels of her hands before she answered.

"It's stupid. Just another fight."

"With Kevin?"

"Yeah. He wanted to go away for the weekend, but we have all that work to do for our last case, and I told him I couldn't go, and he started yelling and… you don't want to hear about it."

"Well, I don't delight in hearing it, but if you want to or need to tell me, then I want to hear it."

"It was so stupid, really. It just snowballed from "You work too much" to "Your job is a joke and you're being worthless." And I just stood there and took it."

"He said you're worthless?"

"He said I was being worthless. There's a difference."

"Maybe in semantics, but you wait a while, and there's not going to be a difference at all. I'm no stranger to verbal abuse."

"Mulder, that's not what this was. It was a fight. We both said things we didn't mean."

"I'm sorry. I wasn't trying to attack him. I'm on your side though, so it's hard not to."

"I appreciate it."

"Can I ask you a question?"

"Sure."

"Why are you here?"

"What?"

"You could have stayed there and fixed the fight. But you didn't."

She shrugged.

"I had to get out so I left and I walked and I ended up here. Seemed like a good idea at the time."

"It's still a good idea, Scully. I'm just not sure what my role is here."

"What do you mean?"

"What am I supposed to do, as your friend?"

"Best friend," she corrected.

"Not really, anymore."

She nodded her head slowly, one manicured nail creeping between her teeth. He reached over and pulled her hand away holding it between his.

"I'm sorry, Mulder. I really thought I could do it. Have a relationship, whatever that is, and maintain our friendship. Whatever that is."

"It's just about balance, Scully. Lots of people juggle partnerships and extracurricular relationships."

"Extracurricular? You make it sound like I'm on the track team or something."

"You'd be deadly with a shot-put."

She smiled.

"It'll all work out," he said, tucking her hair behind her ear. "One way or another. Okay?"

"Okay."

"Want me to take you home?"

"Sure."

They stood up from the couch and he pulled her to his side, kissing the crown of her head.

"You've always got me. You know that, right?"

"Yeah."

* * *

Her apartment was dark when they arrived and she turned on the lamp next to the door. Mulder looked around and realized how long it had been since he had been there. The couch was in a different place, there were different curtains on the windows, and it even smelled different. More like linen than vanilla.

"Want some coffee?" she asked from the kitchen. "My coffee maker died, but I have the French press."

"Sounds good."

He followed her voice and sat down at the table while she made the coffee. It was a comfortable silence, familiar. She had just put two mugs down on the counter when there was a knock at the door.

"Oh crap."

"What?"

"That's Kevin."

"Do you want me to hide?"

She started to laugh, then her face turned serious.

"Actually, that might be a good idea."

He looked at her for a second, then stood up from the couch.

"I'll be in the other room."

It seemed silly and way too much like prime-time TV, but he scooted into the other room anyway. He wanted to listen at the door, but knew it wouldn't be a good idea, so he paced the spare bedroom instead, from the door to the window, wondering how this was going to play out. He wasn't sure if it was going to end well for any of them, but he was sure that no matter what, he would have Scully laughing at it by morning.


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: Sorry it's been so insanely long. I have gotten caught up, entranced and completely schnockered by some other stories and have seemed to fail at channeling Mulder and Scully. It is a sad life, I know. Last chapter.

* * *

"We need to talk, Dana," Kevin said, pushing his way into the apartment. She scoffed and closed the door behind him, crossing her arms over her chest.

"I don't really want to talk."

"Yeah, I could tell by the way you just stormed out. I was right in the middle of a sentence."

"You didn't bother to follow me, did you?"

"I figured you needed to blow off some steam."

"Oh, but it's okay to just waltz in here half an hour later."

"I wanted to talk to you."

"Kevin, what is there to talk about? It's the same fight over and over and over and we never come to a conclusion and I don't see why we're still talking about it."

"Maybe because I really think this could go somewhere, Dana."

"You don't trust me Kevin, and you don't want to either."

"What does that even mean?"

"It means that you love this fight so much that under no circumstances will you give it up. You love having this thing you can hold over me so it's like I have to earn this and you're doing me a favor. Well you know what? I don't need that. I don't need to be constantly belittled and told that I'm not worth it. Why I even put up with it this long, I'll never know."

"Well you've got to have someone to think for you, Dana. Whether it be me or Mulder you apparently can't do this yourself."

She stood there, completely shocked and rooted to the spot. She didn't know if he really thought of her that way, or if he was trying to hurt her, but that hit a little close to home. Many people accused her of being a follower, of smiling and nodding just to keep people happy. She hated that.

"Get out, Kevin."

"What?"

"I said get out!"

"I wanted to talk."

"I don't care what you want! I don't need you here, so get out."

"Oh come on-"

"Don't touch me!"

There was the sound of a slap, and Mulder didn't need to know who dealt it out; he just headed out of the guest room. Kevin had Scully around the wrist and was roughly pulling her away from the door.

"Oh well doesn't this figure?" he said, shoving Scully away and turning on Mulder. "What's going on?"

"I don't think that's any of your business, Peters."

"You don't? Well I'm making it my business!" he shouted, taking a swing. Mulder backed out of the way and caught Kevin's fist and they struggled to the ground where it quickly turned into a brawl. Scully grabbed at them, begging them to quit, if not for their own sakes, for the sake of her things. They didn't listen though, and just kept fighting like a couple of high schoolers. Exasperated, Scully tried one more time to break them apart. All she got was a "Shut up Dana!" in return, so she turned and headed out the door, not caring what was happening anymore, just wanting to get out.

* * *

It was a good hour before he found her, sitting on a bench at the park near her apartment. She looked up at him as he approached, giving him a slight glare before he sat down.

"Yeah, but you should see the other guy," he muttered.

"Did you break anything?"

"Oh come on Scully, I didn't hit him that hard."

"I meant anything of mine. I couldn't care less about the two of you."

"Two men fighting over you?"

"Disgusting. Chauvinistic. Cowardly. Infantile. Unnecessary. Would you like me to go on?"

"No, no. I get it."

They sat in silence for a while. He was racked with guilt while she was totally steamed.

"I'm sorry, Scully. I know you could have handled it yourself, and I shouldn't have stepped in like that. I know I should have listened when you asked us to stop. But those things he said to you… Scully, I can't just let that go."

"I did."

"And that's just fine for you, but no one insults my best friend and gets away with it."

She leaned on his shoulder and gave a deep sigh as he wrapped his arms around her.

"Can I confess something to you?"

"Sure."

"I hated seeing you with him. I hate even the idea that you were with him at all. He's not good enough for you."

"Mulder, in your eyes, no one ever will be. And I appreciate that, but it doesn't mean you can go around smacking every guy I date."

"Then don't date anymore," he said. She whipped around and looked at him, her mouth slightly agape.

"What?"

"I don't want to see you with another guy. Especially not when I… well… when I…"

"When you what, Mulder?"

"When I want to be the one that gets to be with you."

"What?"

"Maybe this is a clichéd time to bring it up, but I think you already know. I think you've known for a long time, and what scares me is that you dated anyway. That either means that you don't feel the same way about me, or that you were running from it. Now which is it? I want the truth, right now."

"I don't… I can't… Mulder, don't make me do this."

"Just tell me, Scully. Your best friend. The goofy looking guy that you tell everything else to."

She let out a little laugh and looked down at her hands.

"I've thought about this a lot, Mulder. And all I know for sure is that having this conversation is going to change things. No matter what I tell you, everything is going to be different and there is no going back. That scares me."

"I know. It scares me too. But that doesn't make me want to sweep it under the carpet. Just tell me, Scully. Do you want to be with me?"

She gave a short nod.

"Yes. But that doesn't mean I'm ready for it now."

"Why not?"

She thought for a moment, biting her lip and wishing she could just stay silent in his arms, just pause time for a while.

"It's like getting a new car. Your old one runs just fine. It's never let you down. It looks good and it feels so right. You have the mirrors and seats adjusted just the way you like them. You have the radio stations set up and you know when your car needs an oil change before your mechanic does. But then you see this new car. And it's pretty and shiny and it has features that your old car didn't have. And you want that car, more than you've ever wanted anything. But to get it, you have to get rid of your old car. And if it doesn't work out with new car, you don't get old car back. What you really want is both cars, but you only have a one car garage and there's no street parking. And when it comes down to it, you don't know if you're ready to take on the responsibility of a new car. The tune ups and washes and oil changes, the new insurance policy, the first few awkward days where you're trying to figure out what settings you want. You want that car, but you don't know if it's right yet."

"What if that new car promises to be patient and help you to get over that awkwardness, help you find your balance."

"What about the old car, Mulder? What about what we have now? Where does that go?"

"Maybe you should think of it as old car getting a massive overhaul. Because it's a good car, but it would be better with some new paint, new tires, maybe some spruced up interior. Same car, just upgraded."

"I can't make this decision right now."

"I'm not asking that you do, Scully. But I want you to know that no matter which car you choose, I am going to be right there beside you. Just don't look at that motorcycle ever again."

"I won't."

He ran his fingers down her cheek, studying her eyes before letting her go.

"Come on. I'll take you home."

"Again."

"Again."

He smiled and took her hand as they walked out of the park. All in all, pretty good day.


End file.
